Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Essential fatty acid transfer and fetal development.

S M Innis1

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Nutrition Research Program, University of British Columbia, B.C. Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health, Room 179, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada. sinnis@nutrition.ubc.ca

Placenta
|April 20, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) are vital for infant brain development. Maternal diet and infant feeding practices significantly impact DHA and ARA levels, with current preterm formulas potentially insufficient for optimal accretion.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Long chain omega-3 fatty acids: micronutrients in disguise.

Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids·2012
Same author

Low linoleic acid may facilitate Δ6 desaturase activity and docosahexaenoic acid accretion in human fetal development.

Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids·2012
Same author

Dietary long chain n-3 fatty acids are more closely associated with protein than energy intakes from fat.

Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids·2012
Same author

Maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes in a group at high risk for pre-eclampsia.

BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology·2010
Same author

Are plasma homocysteine and methionine elevated when binging and purging behavior complicates anorexia nervosa? Evidence against the transdiagnostic theory of eating disorders.

Eating and weight disorders : EWD·2010
Same author

Antioxidant capacity of human milk and its association with vitamins A and E and fatty acid composition.

Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)·2009

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Nutritional Science
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) are crucial structural lipids in the central nervous system.
  • These fatty acids are transferred to the fetus and accumulate in organs during development.
  • Depletion of DHA is linked to impaired visual function and learning deficits, suggesting critical roles in signaling and metabolism.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the transfer and accretion of DHA and ARA during fetal development.
  • To investigate the impact of maternal diet and infant feeding on fatty acid profiles.
  • To assess the adequacy of current infant nutrition for meeting fetal accretion rates.

Main Methods:

  • Review of human and animal studies on maternal diet and fetal fatty acid accretion.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of plasma fatty acid concentrations in maternal, fetal, and infant populations.
  • Estimation of fetal tissue fatty acid accretion rates.

    • Main Results:

    • Specific transport proteins facilitate higher fetal concentrations of DHA and ARA compared to maternal plasma.
    • Maternal diet directly influences fetal accretion of DHA and ARA.
    • Postnatal feeding (parenteral, human milk, formula) decreases plasma DHA and ARA while increasing linoleic acid (18:2n-6).

    Conclusions:

    • Current preterm infant nutrition may not support in utero rates of DHA accretion.
    • The enrichment of fetal plasma with DHA and ARA, and low linoleic acid, likely facilitates accretion in developing tissues.
    • Further consideration of DHA and ARA supplementation in infant formulas is warranted.